Which term refers to specific, small pieces of information that support a main idea?

Which term refers to specific, small pieces of information that support a main idea?

• A. Plot
• B. Details
• C. Setting
• D. Fiction

Answer: (B)

The main concept here is understanding how an author backs up the main idea with small, specific pieces of information. Those pieces are called details. Details are the concrete facts, descriptions, examples, or pieces of evidence that help you see and understand the main point the author is making. For example, if the main idea is that a park is a relaxing place, the details might describe shady trees, a calm pond, and birds singing—all of which support that idea by painting a calm, pleasant picture. Think about what each part of a passage does: plot is the sequence of events in a story, which is about what happens rather than how the main idea is shown. Setting is where and when the story takes place, which provides background but isn’t the small pieces that prove the main idea. Fiction is a genre, not the specific information that supports a main idea in a text. So the correct term for those specific, small pieces of information is details.

The main concept here is understanding how an author backs up the main idea with small, specific pieces of information. Those pieces are called details. Details are the concrete facts, descriptions, examples, or pieces of evidence that help you see and understand the main point the author is making. For example, if the main idea is that a park is a relaxing place, the details might describe shady trees, a calm pond, and birds singing—all of which support that idea by painting a calm, pleasant picture.

Think about what each part of a passage does: plot is the sequence of events in a story, which is about what happens rather than how the main idea is shown. Setting is where and when the story takes place, which provides background but isn’t the small pieces that prove the main idea. Fiction is a genre, not the specific information that supports a main idea in a text. So the correct term for those specific, small pieces of information is details.